Sooner or later, every roller-coaster ride has to come to an end.
In the case of the Michigan women's track team, the ride it took during its indoor season peaked too soon - just barely.
The Wolverines went from the high of finishing second in the indoor Big Ten championships to the low of qualifying just three athletes for the NCAA championships - each of whom went on to record subpar performances.
Michigan's outdoor season begins on March 21, when the Wolverines travel to Winston-Salem, N.C. for the Wake Forest Invitational.
This time, Michigan plans to ride the season out to the very end and peak for the right amount of time - hopefully coinciding with both the Big Tens and the NCAAs.
Michigan coach James Henry said that the Wolverines' poor showing at the NCAAs will only serve to provide them with extra motivation for the outdoor season.
"Everything turns into a positive," Henry said. "If the individuals had gone down (to nationals) and became All-Americans, then I would have said this is the start for bigger and better things to come. Being that they didn't do as well as they wanted to do, the positive spin will be that we have a lot of work to do."
According to Henry, Michigan will use the outdoor season to complete the pattern of success it began in the indoor season.
"We need to finish up what we started so well," Henry said. "We built a great foundation and a very good interior and exterior, but right at the end, when we put the shingles on top of it, we didn't finish it up. We built a really fine house, but when it leaks, we think everything is terrible.
"So there's a little bit of an urgency for us, but I'm confident that everyone understands the responsibility to do well in the beginning and the middle, but also make sure to finish up in flying colors."
Freshman half-miler Lisa Ouellet said she definitely shares that sense of urgency. Ouellet failed to qualify for the 800-meter run at the NCAAs by .02 seconds.
"I'm not kicking myself over it," Ouellet said. "It just makes me more angry for outdoor. I'm going to make everything count now - every place, every step, everything."
Michigan will spend the early weeks of the outdoor season concentrating primarily on strength and endurance training.
But simply switching to the outdoor track alone may provide a better environment for the Wolverines to achieve their lofty goals - and not just because of the sunny weather.
Outdoor tracks are 400 meters long, as opposed to the 200-meter length of indoor tracks, making for longer straightaways and smoother cornering. Many athletes also complain about the stuffy, cramped conditions of indoor tracks.
"Especially for the half, it's so crowded," Ouellet said. "Like in the finals of the Big Tens, everyone was basically the same caliber. We wanted to run to run in the same place. It was just really bumpy.
"Outdoors there's a lot more room, the air is much fresher, the track is softer. I can't wait to get outdoors," she said.
As much as the Wolverines may prefer the outdoor to the indoor season, weather can always be a problem. This early in the year, especially in Michigan, there are no guarantees. Sunshine one day can easily turn into a blizzard the next.
Ouellet, who is used to the conditions of her hometown in Ontario, Canada, is not concerned.
"(Monday) I ran in a t-shirt and shorts," Ouellet said. "Back home, we have nine feet of snow, so this was a treat. I'm used to racing in shorts when it's snowing, so actually any day (here) is a treat for me."
JEANNIE SERVAAS/Daily
The Michigan women's track team is preparing to begin its outdoor season.